The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to shed salary and get younger this offseason and a proposed deal with the New York Yankees could help the Redbirds work towards that goal, albeit at a high cost.

As the postseason dawned, the Cardinals quickly indicated that the organization plans to engage in a full-blown "reboot," according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

To that end, Fansided's Josh Jacobs proposes a deal to kickstart the rebooting process that would send closer Ryan Helsley and utility infielder Brendan Donovan to the Yankees for starting pitcher Luis Gil, as well as prospects Chase Hampton and Brando Mayea.

St. Louis is looking to rebuild a roster rife with bloated veteran contracts after going 71-91 in 2023 and 83-79 in 2024. While neither Helsley nor Donovan is making "big money" by Major League Baseball standards, the Cardinals could be dealing from a position of strength.

Helsley led all of MLB with 49 saves for a sub-standard Cardinals team last season. According to multiple reports, he is expected to be on the trade block as St. Louis seeks to rebuild in 2025. He was well worth the $3.8 million he made last season, but is arbitration-eligible and can become a free agent after next season.

As Nightengale previously reported, St. Louis has already "waived the white flag," and teams in that position do not necessarily need top-flight closers.

Donovan has been a valuable member of the Cardinals, hitting .280 and scoring 366 runs in 374 games over three big-league seasons. The Gold Glover is a player the Yankees covet, according to Jacobs, and St. Louis does have up-and-coming Nolan Gorman who provides a similar skill set.

In return, the Redbirds would receive Gil, who was the Yankees No. 4 starter but could quickly become a staff ace for the Cardinals.

St. Louis' starting staff is already suspect, and the team is not being shy about shopping current No. 1 starter Sonny Gray this winter.

Gil made his MLB debut in 2021 but was derailed by Tommy John surgery in 2022. He was magnificent in his return to the Yankees' starting staff last season, going 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 29 starts.

Hampton, a Double-A pitcher, is the No. 6 prospect in New York's farm system, Mayea, the No. 13-ranked prospect, is an outfielder in rookie ball.